[Colorado-talk] Assistive Listening Project 2014 Convention Announcement

[Everett Gavel]

Just want to make sure nobody that may need or 
want this, misses it. Below is something from the 
latest issue of the Braille Monitor, regarding 
hard-of-hearing details for the upcoming National 
Convention. It also includes details for states 
interested in obtaining such communications setups 
for state conventions as well. We don't need to 
worry about that here, though. Colorado and our 
own Curtis Willoughby are mentioned below, for 
good reason. ;-)

Here's the announcement & details!
Everett


Assistive Listening Project 2014 Convention 
Announcement:
  At the 2014 national convention the National 
Federation of the Blind
Amateur Radio Division and the National Federation 
of the Blind Deaf-Blind
Division will again offer special arrangements for 
severely hearing-
impaired people attending convention sessions and 
the banquet. This will
consist of transmission of the public address 
system signal over a special
short-range radio transmitter for the severely 
hearing-impaired. Spanish-
language translation of convention proceedings in 
general sessions and the
banquet will also be provided using a similar 
arrangement. The special
receivers required for these services will also be 
provided.
  In cooperation with several state affiliates 
(notably Colorado, Utah,
and Virginia), the NFB will provide special 
receivers for these
transmissions to those needing them. The 
receiver-lending will be managed
by the Amateur Radio Division and will be operated 
from a table just
outside the meeting room. A deposit of $40, cash 
only, will be required of
anyone wishing to check out one of the 
Federation's receivers. The deposit
will be returned if the receiver is checked in at 
the checkout table in
good condition by the end of the banquet or within 
thirty minutes of
adjournment of the last convention session that 
the borrower plans to
attend. Batteries for the receiver will be 
provided. Anyone checking out a
Federation receiver will be given upon request a 
miniature earbud-type
earphone to use with the receiver.
  Along with explaining what will be available, it 
is important that we
explain what will not be available. The miniature 
earbud loudspeaker-type
earphone will be the only kind of earphone 
offered. If you would like to
use your own earphone(s), silhouette, neck loop, 
or other device or adapter
cable to get the signal from the receiver we 
provide to your ear, you must
ensure that the cable connection between your 
device and our receiver is
one that will fit the audio jack found on 
electronic devices such as
talking book and MP3 players, laptops, or mobile 
devices like iPhones and
note takers. In technical terms, this is referred 
to as a 3.5 mm (formerly
called 1/8-inch) earphone plug. You are advised to 
arrange for such things
well ahead of arriving at the convention. Other 
than the earphone jack on
the receiver, no means of connection to a hearing 
aid will be available
from the checkout table. The receiver does not 
have a built-in loudspeaker.
While earphones, and even neck loops, are 
sometimes available in the
exhibit hall, you cannot be certain of getting one 
there.
  Many severely hearing-impaired people already 
use radio systems that
employ FM radio signals to carry the voice from a 
transmitter held by the
person speaking to a receiver in the hearing aid. 
Some of these hearing aid
systems can be tuned to receive the Federation's 
special transmitters. In
this case the hearing-impaired person may simply 
tune his or her own
receiver to receive the Federation's transmitter 
and will not need to check
out a Federation receiver.
  Some audiologists and rehabilitation agencies 
are now buying digital
and other FM hearing aids that cannot be tuned to 
the Federation's
frequency. If you have one of these or if you have 
any other type of
hearing aid, you should obtain from your 
audiologist an adapter cable to
connect from your hearing aid to a monaural 3.5 mm 
earphone jack. This will
allow you to plug the cable from your hearing aid 
directly into a receiver
you check out from our table. This will allow you 
to hear as well as anyone
else using one of our receivers.
  The transmitter for the hearing impaired will be 
connected to the
public address system so that the signals from the 
head table and the aisle
microphones will be transmitted on channel 
thirty-six (74.775 MHz narrow
band FM). People must not operate their personal 
transmitters on channel
thirty-six or on channel thirty-eight, because 
that would interfere with
the reception by others. This means that folks 
wishing to use their own
receivers (rather than checking out one of the 
Federation's receivers) need
to have their personal receivers arranged so that 
they can switch between
their personal channels and channel thirty-six. 
Some people may need to
purchase replacement or additional receivers. 
Caution your audiologist that
there is more than one channel thirty-six, and he 
or she must also verify
that your frequency matches our frequency.
  This announcement is published now to allow as 
much time as possible
for those interested to make the necessary 
arrangements before convention.
It contains this amount of detail so that any 
audiologist who works with
this type of equipment should be able to know by 
reading this article
exactly what capabilities a person's hearing 
system must have to work with
the Federation's system at convention.
  Even if your hearing aid is not of the FM type, 
you may be able to
purchase a silhouette, a neck loop, or an adapter 
cable to couple the
signal from a Federation receiver directly to your 
hearing aid. Your
audiologist should also be able to help you with 
this. The NFB Deaf-Blind
division has offered to provide feedback on their 
members' experiences with
these types of devices to interested convention 
attendees. Contact Joe
Naulty, 3924 South Wind Drive, West Melbourne, 
Florida 32904, (321) 768-
9500 or <jnaulty at cfl.rr.comfor inquiries. Please 
always remember to
consult your audiologist when considering any 
additions to your hearing aid
setup.
  The service for Spanish speakers will be 
similar, except that a live
Spanish translator will speak over a separate 
transmitter on channel thirty-
eight (75.275 MHz narrow band FM). We do not 
expect that people will bring
their own receivers for the Spanish-translation 
service, unless they are
also hearing impaired and use an FM hearing aid 
system. Spanish speakers
may, however, wish to bring their own earphones. 
See above for a
description of the type of plug needed.
  Norm Gardner from Utah will be coordinating the 
Spanish language
interpreters, and he would appreciate hearing from 
anyone willing to
volunteer to interpret. Please call him before 
convention at (801) 224-
6969, or send him email at 
<ngardner at brlcenter.org>.
  If other state affiliates or chapters are 
interested in purchasing
this type of equipment for use in state and local 
meetings, they are
encouraged to purchase equipment that is 
compatible with that which we are
using and to allow it to be used in the pool of 
equipment that the Amateur
Radio Division administers at national convention. 
Tony Olivero would like
to help you choose equipment that is compatible 
with that which the NFB is
using. You may contact him at (765) 977-1683 or at 
<anthony at olivero.us>.
The Federation is pleased to offer these services 
to our severely hearing-
impaired and Spanish-speaking colleagues, and we 
hope and believe that it
will again significantly improve their convention 
experience.
  Finally, we would like to take a moment and 
thank Curtis Willoughby
for his many years of dedicated leadership of the 
NFB Amateur Radio
Division. Curtis's efforts have contributed 
significantly to the ability of
those with hearing loss and those who are 
primarily Spanish speakers to
participate in convention sessions. Curtis, we 
thank you for all the time
and effort you have put forth over the years.